News

Heifers Outside Could Save Rearing Costs

UK – Outwintering heifers could be a way of reducing rearing costs, say Harper Adams University researchers ahead of a day of outwintering assessment.

The day will take place on Tuesday 26 November at the Harper Adams Dairy Unit, co-hosted by research and development board DairyCo.

Last year, as part of the DairyCo funded research programme, Prof Liam Sinclair and Mr Norton Atkins visited nine commercial farms throughout the outwintering period to assess the performance of animals on three different forage types: kale, fodder beet and deferred grazing.

They measured live weight gain, herbage utilisation and animal performance in the first 100 days of lactation. Mineral supplementation was also investigated with half the animals on each farm receiving a mineral bolus. At the farm walk, Prof Sinclair and Mr Atkins discus some of these results as well as: